All about the novel What Monstrous Gods
Who is Rosamund Hodge?
Rosamund Hodge grew up as a homeschooler in Los Angeles, where she spent her time reading everything she could lay her hands on, but especially fantasy and mythology. She got a BA in English from the University of Dallas and an MSt in Medieval English from Oxford, and she now lives in Seattle with a mountain of books and the most beautiful dog in the world. Visit her online at rosamundhodge.net.
What is What Monstrous Gods about?
Centuries ago, the heretic sorcerer Ruven raised a deadly briar around Runakhia’s palace, casting the royal family into an enchanted sleep—and silencing the kingdom’s gods.
Born with a miraculous gift, Lia’s destiny is to kill Ruven and wake the royals. But when she succeeds, she finds her duty is not yet complete, for now she must marry into the royal family and forge a pact with a god—or die.
To make matters even worse, Ruven’s spirit is haunting her.
As discord grows between the old and new guards, the queen sends Lia and Prince Araunn, her betrothed, on a pilgrimage to awaken the gods. But the old gods are more dangerous than Lia ever knew—and Ruven may offer her only hope of survival.
As the two work together, Lia learns that they’re more alike than she expected. And with tensions rising, Lia must choose between what she was raised to believe and what she knows is right—and between the prince she is bound to by duty…and the boy she killed.
Interview
What was your inspiration for What Monstrous Gods?
Every one of my books has multiple inspirations. But here is one of the moments that led to What Monstrous Gods: I saw somebody on Twitter say that they would like to read a story where, for a change, the heroine falls in love with the hot guy she’s supposed to kill and then kills him anyway.
I thought, “Okay, but what if that was just the beginning of the story, not the ending?” And that was how I started writing a novel about a girl haunted by the ghost of the evil sorcerer she had just killed.
What drew you to writing?
When I was eight years old, my thirteen-year-old brother said I was too young to join his writing club. Right then and there, I vowed to become a famous writer and make him SORRY. (He’s still not sorry.)
What are your favourite parts of writing fantasy?
I love that it’s just so weird! Absolutely nothing has to be chill and normal — you can take all the drama and weirdness of your characters and infuse it into the bones of your universe. That’s so incredibly satisfying to me, when the story and the world fit each other perfectly.
What was your process for writing What Monstrous Gods?
Vast amounts of coffee and chocolate.
What is your approach to world and character building?
I spent a lot of time thinking about my fictional pantheon. The gods are heavily inspired by my childhood love of Greek and Norse mythology, but I didn’t want to create any exact counterparts — “this is Poseidon, but in a funny hat” — and that is surprisingly difficult to do! At one point the pantheon was bigger (I think there were thirteen different gods) but my editor felt it was getting a bit too confusing, so I had to consolidate. Overall I think that was a good decision, though I do still kind of miss the god of trains and reaching the end of your journey.
How would you describe What Monstrous Gods in five words?
Road Trip With A Ghost.
Did you have a favourite moment in the book to write?
Lia and Ruven’s first kiss. No spoilers, but it’s morbid and weird and I think it’s just perfect for them. 🙂
What was your favourite book growing up?
I had so many favorites, it seems wrong to pick just one. But I’ll say the Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien, because that fueled a lot of my love for invented mythology.
Do you have a favourite genre to read?
Fantasy, obviously!
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